• palordrolap@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    12 days ago

    Back in the day in the kids’ comics I remember at least one occasion where the spade card suit was used for that purpose. (Britain, 1980s/1990s)

    A character’s speech bubble contained “I h♠te homework” or something similar. Might have been spinach instead of homework. Or school. Anything an irreverent protagonist might not like.

    The artist was clearly using this as a counterpart to the more often seen “lo♥e”, but as an adult thinking about it now, I have to wonder if the artist had forgotten about the potential racial connotation of using it, or if they hadn’t but didn’t think it was particularly important.

    Either way, ♠ could be used as a symbol of hate if the context permits it. Maybe best avoided if you’re looking for a generic one though.

  • 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    12 days ago

    Robert Sternberg saw three main elements in hatred:

    • a negation of intimacy, by creating distance when closeness had become threatening;
    • an infusion of passion, such as fear or anger;
    • a decision to devalue a previously valued object.

    The front-facing fist 👊: Threatening, intense, replicable (most people have hands)

    The down-facing knife 🔪: sharp, cold, calculated

    There are also very specific symbols of hatred, like the swastika and the Nazi salute, white-hooded robes and burning crosses, the flag of the Daesh, the Z of the RAF for the West et al., but all of those are tied to certain ideologies and cultures and might not make any sense outside of relevant situations.

  • BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    30
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    12 days ago

    The swastika is a fairly obvious symbol of hate, same with a white pointed hood.

    They aren’t normally used in a generic fashion though.

    Maybe a red lightsaber?

    • The Nazis appropriated it from other cultures. Being a fairly simple symbol, it shows up in religions around the world. “Nazis” are not the first thing most Indians think of when they see a swastika.

      I agree that in western culture it’s pretty synonymous with a host of vile connotations, and it’s been successfully appropriated - like red baseball caps. But it’s not fair to the swastika, and it certainly isn’t a universal meaning for the symbol, whereas the heart has no other meaning for most people in the world; that is, of there’s any symbolism assigned to a heart by a person, it’s probably “love.”

      I can’t suggest a similar, universal symbol for hatred, although as someone else suggested, a clenched fist is probably a good candidate. 👊🏽